The 2012 edition of the Fork Union Invitational brought together most of the top local runners and a slew of standouts from across the state Saturday in an early season showcase for the sport.
The local runners delivered too, with five of the top 10 spots on the boys side going to local athletes while three girls placed in the top 10. Western Albemarle won the boys team title with Albemarle taking fourth while Fluvanna’s girls squad took fifth and Western took sixth.
David Taylor led the local boys, clocking in at 15:40.28, not far behind Nathaniel Hall of Atlee who won the race’s Colonial Division, the fastest division of the day. Reider Strehler and Mac Strehler of Trinity Episcopal finished second and third in front of Taylor. After Taylor, Herndon’s Bradley Heuer took fifth, Ryan Thomas of Albemarle grabbed sixth and then a trio of Fork Union runners crossed the finish line. Russ Garver, Alex Lomong and Peter Lomong took seventh, eight and ninth. Eric Bianchie of Clover Hill rounded out the top 10.
For Western, Taylor set the pace, and Andrew de Jonh and Trevor Stutzman checked in next in 13th and 14th. Mac Outlaw took 26th and Henry Cohen at 42nd rounded out the scoring runners. Western beat second place Atlee by 12 points. Albemarle’s fourth place finish came from Thomas, sophomore Zach Gentry in 12th, Aaron Elder in 15th, Jakob Brooks in 35th and Nat Pfund in 70th.
On the girls side, Molly Breidenbaugh of Trinity got the win while Nicole Douma took fifth to pace local runners. Madison Hunter, STAB’s freshman sensation, was just two seconds behind Douma in sixth while Western’s Annie Taylor came in ninth.
Fluvanna had the most finishers in the top 15, but the drop off was too severe in a loaded field behind Douma, Stephanie Bossong and Devon Burger.
Western’s sixth place showing came on the strength of Sarah Grupp and Alice Ducharme’s 25th and 27th place finishes as well as Selena Coles in 37th and Sophie Loman in 51st.
In the Patriot Division, a second wave of varsity runners, Fluvanna’s Chris Markham won the race with a time that would’ve placed him 15th in the tough Colonial grouping. James Ballowe of Nelson took sixth in that division and Fluvanna’s Travis Moe took eighth.
On the girls side in the Patriot Division, Samantha Madison of Louisa County won it, with Ramona Bryant of Nelson in second and Helen Gilliam of Orange in sixth.
